


Bleeding Red & Cheap Thrills

by purplearrow



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Darcy is the fandom bicycle and I love it, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Forgiveness, Friendship, IronTaser - Freeform, Matt Fraction's Clint Barton is my head canon, Mistakes, Past Clint Barton/Bobbi Morse, Protective Bobbi Morse, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Natasha Romanov, Sass, Slow Burn, Tony Needs a Hug, chapter one set in Iron Man 3, it needs to be a thing on here, semi Captain-America: Civil War (movie) compliant, snark and emotional stupidity ensured, then it's fast forwarded, when does he not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:14:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplearrow/pseuds/purplearrow
Summary: When two people who never meet before and find themselves at a seedy bar for all the wrong reasons, it set's forth a tidal wave of actions that later will catch up to them.  Tony Stark was tired of people walking away from him. Darcy Lewis was tired of being overlooked and put in second place.





	1. Chapter 1

Four-inch heels clicked on the floor, a body from a different era walked in and she owned the whole damn room. Lips painted red that promised sin - she killed everyone in there leaving only one witness.

It took one look from her and bang bang, Tony Stark was dead.

 

* * *

 

_Pepper’s voice ringed out in his ears but he couldn’t open his eyes, her voice was strong and so close to pulling him from his nightmare… but then it changed._

_Panic?_

_“Tony!”_

_Tony’s hazel eyes finally snapped open to see the woman he loved pinned down by his own creation and then his body was on autopilot. His arms moved forward in a command to power down the suit and dismantle it within seconds._

_He scanned the room, the threat was eliminated and finally, he looked down at his hands trying to figure out how to breathe again while fumbling for words._

_“I must have called it in my sleep. That's not supposed to happen. I'll recalibrate the sensors. Can we just...just let me...just let me catch my breath, okay?”_

_All he heard was her footsteps moving away from him and when he looked up for confirmation it was like the doors were closing shut on his heart._

_“Don't go, alright? Pepper?” It was a plea for something, from her, for her to just give him something to hold onto while he tried to not fall apart._

_“I'm going to sleep downstairs. Tinker with that.”_

 

* * *

 

  
Tony for a second time in his life, didn’t want to be Tony Stark. The first time was when he was held captive in a cave with a car battery strapped to his chest to keep him alive. Tonight, it was because it would mean admitting that his life was breaking apart and everyone in it that mattered was crumbling around him.

Some of it was his fault but if the team, Rhodes and more importantly Pepper, could see what he had seen, felt it … lived through during the battle of New York, then maybe they would understand why he doesn’t want to sleep. Why it’s painful to dream of dying, falling and then waking up to knowing it wasn’t a bad dream but an actual memory.

So tonight, he is no one but a guy at a shady bar that his younger 20’s would have loved. Seated in the back booth by himself with a bottle and single glass.

Halfway through the bottle, he looks up to the sound of someone whistling and locks eyes on something that makes every part of him ache in the best way possible. It’s a feeling he hasn’t felt for anyone besides Pepper in the last few years.

It’s wrong but fitting for a seedy bar.

A body from another era all wrapped up in cheap silk that was stretched too tight in some places, the material sheering out from it. Four-inch heels that clicked hard on the floor, her walk isn’t graceful but dominant. Plush lips painted up red that promised sin, the color that made you wonder how it would look on your skin after her mouth was done with you.

All eyes are on her as she makes her way to him, her hourglass body falling next to him in the booth.

“This isn’t chance you being here and walking right up to me? Who are you working for?” the words fly out of his mouth quickly with his fingers already wrapping around her bare forearm. Another Black Widow, maybe?

“I don’t work for anyone, so let go of my arm.” she snaps back with all teeth and sharp pointed blue eyes smoked out with shades of gray.

“I’m going to ask you one more time, what’s the name of your organization?” Tony questions her again, looking for any sign on her face that screamed: “she’s lying!”.

“Let go of my arm before I stabbed you with my shoe,” and that threat is real, a very evident sharp point of her heel pressing into his lower leg now, “I thought Tony Stark was supposed to be better than this with women.”

His fingers let go of her arm, “Sorry … occupational hazard.”

“Whatever… this was a stupid mistake.” she hisses at him, body moving to get away from him.

“Wait.. .stay..look, I’m sorry.” the words just fall out his mouth even though the smart thing is, to let her walk away. But the thing is, he is tired of people walking away from him. At least for tonight.

“Buy me a drink and I’ll think about it.”

“How about I buy you a bottle and you agree to not say my name too loud in here and we just talk about what shit reason brought us to this … establishment…” he offers her.

“Still not as smooth as the magazine articles lead people to believe.” her mouth honest to God curls up into a smirk that is not smooth at all but fucking sexy as hell.

“In my defense, I’ve been out of the game last few years.” he banters back and her eyes go soft and face blushes red. Definitely not another Black Widow.

“Patron.”

 

  
Her name is Darcy and nothing about her is soft but her curves. She is sass, curiosity and a filthy mouth all wrapped up into this singular person sitting next to him.

When she got up to find the restroom Tony let his own curiosity motivate him to try and find something on her because even “unsober” (he hates the word drunk) Tony still doesn’t believe she isn’t here without a motive rather her’s or someone else's. Either way, at least she is a fun company and hasn’t tried to kill him yet. So he takes that, as a win for the night.

She mentioned Culver, New Mexico and that her ex-boss was a female with her head always in the sky in their conversation as to what planted her in this bar tonight. So he takes that info and her first name and has Jarvis run a search on his phone because old habits die hard and Tony will always have a need to know everything about the person sitting next to him.

“Well, I found two numbers on the bathroom stall door to call for a good time. I think there is high hope of me ending the night with a bang.” Darcy’s voice pulls his eyes from his phone and just in time for him to see her actual smile with teeth showing and she has a slight gap in the front that he thinks is somehow sexy as hell on her.

“That’s a horrible joke and I think you hurt my feelings.”

“Ha! Well, I think your not so secret girlfriend might be glad of that.”

Tony watches her full smile start to fade to a small one with heavy lids that come from a night of drinking as she takes her place back in the booth next to him.

“What if I told you tonight I wasn’t Tony Stark.” it’s a dangerous thing to say and he knows it, he should be ashamed and guilty for even thinking about. Pepper’s face does flash in his mind, her beautiful elegant face, soft features, and brilliant smile but also her walking away from him and so many other things.

“I think we are both angry right now at people in our lives and what you're saying you don’t really mean,” Darcy says back softly.

He moves in closer to her, flushes against her side, “What about you and the things you’ve said, all true or false?”

“I came in from a stupid tweet I saw about a possible sighting of ‘Tony Stark’ in a bar near my place, so yeah, true I came in with a plan to make myself feel good for once because lately life has sucked. I wasn’t looking for sex though, just wanted to see if I could make you buy me a drink.”

“Got you a bottle.” he smirks back at her and there is that flush again on her face.

“Yep.” she pops the last letter in the word and before either of them can make the next move Tony feels his phone vibrate with an alert.

He pulls it out and looks at the info on the screen, it’s almost nothing, and for Jarvis to find next to nothing on her from the last five years, that should say something about her.

However, there was a full name, Darcy Elizabeth Lewis and one grainy screenshot of what looks like Thor smiling with an infamous Facebook blue thumbs up icon below it.

“So, should I call you Agent Lewis? Or is it a coincidence that you posted a picture of Thor smiling directly at you when he landed in Mexico?” he takes a stab in the dark, to see if he could get a reaction from her because if she was Shield, well, this was a new low for them.

Darcy looks at him with heat and anger, pointed eyes and lips drawn tight. She looks like a lion boxed in, ready to charge and strike.

“Shield? You think I’m Shield? You’re an idiot for someone who declares himself a genius on regular basis. So.. thanks for the bottle, but I hope I never see you again.”

“Seeing as you know their name, how involved are you with everything? It’s not like they advertise their network. And the word “Agent” could have been for any organization yet that’s the name you dropped without hesitation.”

“You don’t get to ask me those questions.”

“Gag orders? Non-disclosures? It’s not like I’m not classified to know or can’t steal the info to find out either way. So just cut the crap and tell me why you came in here and sat down next to me.” Tony tries to pry more information from her, that carefree attitude out the window.

“Fuck you Stark.” her voice is low but it still rings loud in his ears.

Tony watches her push away from the booth and walks out the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangovers, guns, arrows and a hot blonde. A normal day in the life of Darcy Lewis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in posting the second chapter, I'm not going to bore you with the details, it just a thing called life. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. Also, all the comments on prior chapter mean the world to me, I've been out of the game for a while and was happy to see I could still please some readers. So thank you - xoxo!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the glimpse into Darcy's backstory in this chapter, I'm still teasing at some things but I think it's still pretty solid! 
> 
> P.S. I edited the first chapter, nothing that changed anything, just cleaned up some stuff and added a little more of Tony reflecting on himself at the bar before Darcy walked in.

Darcy walks up to her to current living quarters, it’s an old but sturdy building in Bedford Stuyvesant. The surrounding neighborhood is less than pleasant but the people in her building are just trying to survive and avoid the violence.

There really isn’t an actual name for her building, but everyone just calls it the “Bed Stuy”. Sometimes you can smell a barbeque happening on the roof and other times you can hear bodies hitting the ground outside in the front.

It doesn’t shock her though, not after everything that happened in New Mexico and New York. New Mexico is the primary reason she is even here and stuck in this particular building. New Mexico is the reason for a lot of things lately that have gone terribly wrong in her life.

And what she did during the New York attack is what landed her in Shield's pocket with the inability to object to moving into this building or out until further notice.

Shield uprooted her from Traunsee, Austria and brought her back Stateside to this little slice of hell.

Upon moving in, she thought she would see Shield agents living in the building, like a hideaway or some sort, not actual regular people.  
No one in the building knows her real name, it was part of the lie Shield has her living right now. She's just some girl who's struggling to get by building websites for startup companies from home, something that would bring absolutely no attention to her.

Then after a month of living here, she caught a woman with fire red hair walking up the steps once and she knew that face without a doubt.

So of course, in normal Darcy fashion, she followed the woman and found herself in the top floor apartment face down on the floor with Natasha Romanoff on her and a barefoot Clint Barton looking down on her with a coffee pot in hand sipping on it like it’s a mug.

It was a disaster that involved threats of violence from the Black Widow, words strung together that would make sailor blush by her, and badly timed jokes from Clint and then a bottle of vodka and nail polish that ended up as a sleepover.

Now she spends half her time with her assassins and they have a very dysfunctional but beautiful relationship. They are the only thing she has in the way of family. They even bring her back little souvenirs from their latest escapades. Darcy prefers to call their work outings that, rather than what they are, kill missions. She wonders if Nat knows about what happened between Clint and herself from their shared time in New Mexico and exactly what they did for a few nights.

However tonight, they are gone and it’s just her. They left three days ago for something that had both of them tense which resulted in bringing in a senior agent to guard the place, but more specifically, to guard her. Normally it’s a baby agent who got the short end of the stick that played guard dog when both her assassins were gone. This senior agent is a hot blonde with a codename Mockingbird.

Darcy likes this new agent even though she doesn’t know her real name, it’s been a game between the two for Darcy to figure it out. They have shared coffee and crude jokes, it makes Darcy feel comfortable and less worried about what had her assassins on high alert.

A sprinkle of blood catches her attention though on the front stoop, she looks up towards the roof of the building and gives a mock salute because this is her life now. She hears a whistle back in response done in three short burst and that is tonight's magic code. It’s different each day.

Darcy makes her way into the building and wonders if it was the Russians this time or the Italians. Clint doesn’t make friends very well.

Climbing up the stairs seems more tedious being tipsy after she reaches the second floor she kicks off her shoes and doesn’t bother to pick them up. Gripping the side rail, she wishes Nat was here so she could get a piggyback ride. Finally, she reaches the fourth floor and a small smile slips up on her face that she made it up without falling back down. She lives right below Clint’s apartment which sometimes sucks when Nat comes over to visit or when they are resting between avenging because their sex is a whole new level of loud.

Finally unlocking her door and shuffling into her apartment, she pulls her phone from her purse and then discards everything on her onto the floor while walking to her bedroom. She grabs a threadbare shirt that looks grayer and less black with a fading shield logo at the top right corner that she stole from Clint in New Mexico. It’s still her favorite sleeping shirt, although she has a new contender she got from Nat.

Making her way back to her living room she falls into the sofa and thinks how her night ended and the life choices that put her in this place.

“Six fucking college credits…” she tells herself and even with a hazy mind, she wonders if Jane has thought of her, has that brilliant mind wonder what has happened to her. And has Thor come back like he said he would.

Darcy isn’t sure how she feels about it, at first it was easy to be angry at Shield and then Jane. Jane was the brilliant one, the one who wasn’t uprooted and stashed away like some toy in a closet. No, she was allowed to continue her work while Darcy was shoved away and put aside until further notice all because she knew too much but wasn’t brilliant. Just another liability in the eyes of Shield and that came straight from Sitwell's mouth before Darcy had been placed on a military aircraft headed straight to New York.

That emotion has now slipped into betrayal as of lately, because it was her “non-brilliant” mind that was able to hack into every video feed in New York and broadcast the event to the entire world. All for Jane.

And yet, still no word from Jane one year later.

 

* * *

 

 

Hard hitting sound echoes in Darcy’s ears, pulling her from a dreamless sleep. Her heart beats faster and on natural reflex, she is grabbing for the gun taped under her sofa with a finger already on the trigger holding steady. It's the only thing Natasha has been able to teach her. Grab, point, shoot and then run. Don’t be a hero, just survive.

“Either open the damn door or I’m breaking it down.”

A quick breath leaves her body she didn't’ even know she was holding, it’s Clint and he doesn’t sound happy.

“You have a key! Use it!” she yells back at him, her body falling back on the sofa while groaning at her poor choices from the night before in alcohol consumption. Her head is killing her, she made an ass of herself and she really wants to punch Tony Stark in the face.

And she also wishes this wasn’t her life.

“Open the damn door right now.” Clint barks back at her, the inflection in his voice not lessening.

It takes Darcy by surprise, because Clint when not fighting for the world, is much like her. Not serious and just looking for a good time with interventions of coffee, cheap booze and good sex in between. Getting off the sofa and placing the gun on the coffee table, she stomps her way to the door and swings it wide open to glare at the archer in front of her.

“Calm down Cujo, no one ringed the damn fire alarm.” she snaps at him with pointed eyes, but that’s when she notices that he’s still in his tactical gear and there is blood on it. He’s got his arrows and bow strapped to his back, some of his knives are missing and one gun is missing from his chest holster

“Clint …“ fear spikes inside her head and before she can react anymore Clint invades her space, moves a hand to her hip and moves his other hand up the back of her neck until his fingers are buried in her hair. His eyes command her attention and she doesn’t look away. Clint doesn’t hold her like this, not even Nat like this. Something isn’t right.

“Nat put a black backpack in your closet, get it and taking nothing else. Trust no one right now but Bobbi, do everything she tells you. She’s already waiting for you out back behind the building. You are going to take the fire escape down and I will cover you from the roof.”

The fingers on her hip move until the hem of the shirt is over them; they move slowly upwards and she can feel the scarp of something against her skin until it’s tucked under the elastic band of her panties on the side.

To an outsider, it looks intimate, like a lover’s touch.

“Do you understand?” Clint’s voice is soft and low.

Darcy nods her head yes.

The next seven minutes were a blur and it’s only because of adrenaline that she even made to Bobbi. Clint had fired three arrows and she fell from the second story of the fire escape when a bullet grazed her outer thigh.

“Darcy look at me … you need to get up now. The hard part is over.” she hears Bobbi yelling at her as another body hits the ground from the electric baton. There is five bodies total, three with arrows in the chest.

Darcy lets the rest of her adrenaline push her body, running towards the black jeep with Bobbi right next to her.

 

It takes three hours later before Darcy finally speaks. They are somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania and “Bobbi” hasn’t let up on the gas.

Darcy has managed to find a pair of leggings and a sports bra in her backpack to put on and a small first aid kit to clean and wrap her leg with. Nat also stuffed in there a pair of boots with a roll of hundred dollar bills, a fake passport and a gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket.

“I don’t know anything...it’s been over a year. I was just an unpaid intern,” Darcy says with a soft voice. She never took Shield stashing her under the eye of an Avenger seriously because this wasn't supposed to happen. To her, it was just them making sure she wasn't selling secrets, not because her life was targeted.

“You know more than you think you do, you might not understand the finer details of Jane's work but you helped build and fix her machines that tested her theories and recorded her notes over and over, which means you know words and correct placement of those words that would make sense to a scientist.” the blonde woman looks over to her for a second with a soft smile.

“So why the rush all of a sudden for them to get me now? Once again, it's been over a year!” Darcy lets her temper lash out.

“Two words, Tony Stark.”

“I make the worse life decisions ever!” Darcy sighs to herself, leaning back into the front passenger seat

“You're young. I did worse. Point is, we have been keeping you hidden from the world pretty good for the past year. Last night, you went out and did something that you normally don't do - you got drunk with Tony Stark in a public bar where your photo got snapped and posted online which is now a leading trend on Twitter. You know he's a got a very public girlfriend? ”

“You don’t say, Bobbi?”

“For the record, that’s your handicap to get my full name correct. Now get the laptop out of the glove box, plug in the USB Clint gave you and see what your hacking skills can do this time.

“Why, so Shield can hold me prisoner at some other place?” Darcy lets her temper flare up.

“Darce, that hasn’t stopped you since you moved in. I know about your little check-in's on Jane's work and also on Nat and Clint's status, I just haven’t told anyone about it. Plus this time it’s for Shield, so if anything, it will be your ticket to have a normal life again or maybe something more special if you let it.” Bobbi snaps back at her with pointed eyes.

“Don’t call me that. And fine, but I want coffee. I’ve been shot and I’m still hungover.”

“Thought you would never ask short-stack.”

Darcy actually snorts at the name, but then goes quiet for a second, looking at the USB in her hand, “Are Clint and Nat okay?”

“You're gonna see them again, I promise. Just need to wait a few days. Now let’s go over some cover stories.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reviews feed the writers soul / you can follow me on tumblr under username: purplearrowawwno


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets get spilled, drama ensured and someone gets 's tazed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was worth the wait and you enjoy this as much as I did (and struggled!) to write this chapter. Lot's of rewriting. This chapter mushes together the first two chapters and Winter Soldier timeline together.

 

 

Darcy stared at the laptop while sitting on the bed in some cheap motel, feeling her insides turn at what she was uncovering. “Why did you give me this Clint? What is going on?”  The place had no wifi, but she managed to piggyback from the Burger King across the street because of course, the fast food place would have it. Looking from file to file. Her mind flickered between all the broken information. It was complicated and messy puzzles between spies, enemies and their organizations and that included Shield as well. One of the files that surfaced was of the late Obadiah Stane and someone named Baron Strucker. However, she needed more time on it. It was broken and encrypted beyond a quick hack.  

Multiple pictures and files of Jasper Sitwell caught her attention the most; it was mostly from his undercover work. He was initially brought into Shield as an intel analyst for his computer and research skills to gather intel and piece together what plan an enemy was making based on the information.

However,  over the past five years his interest and request for more field work as an undercover liaison to broker deals for sensitive intel had begun to increase and with that came a higher clearance level which resulted in field reports half blacked out or just non-existent.

This behavior came to stop when Felix Blake came into the picture. Felix used to work for Coulson and was moved up in rank shortly after Coulson was declared dead.  He is experienced in both wet work and intelligence gathering but more than anything, he follows the rules.     

Sitwell was then assigned as his partner and kept more on Stateside soil then out of the country. A few pictures were taken of him rendezvousing with Senator Stern and one clouded picture of him and Alexander Pierce. The latter made no sense. Why would a Shield agent of only level 7 be speaking to a World Security Council secretary? That was something only level Alpha’s did in the organization, like Nick Fury. This evidence was captured by Felix and submitted up to Fury directly.

Right now, Sitwell is off on a blackout mission signed off by Fury with codename “Insight”. None of it made sense. Why would he send someone out under suspicion?

One other particular folder that caught her eyes was one on Tony Stark. The person who is responsible for her sudden life expectancy being significantly reduced.   

Inside of it was several personal ad clippings from a trashy online magazine, a distant photograph of Tony on his knees with a bag over his head and wires protruding from his chest connected to a large block on the ground. Two pictures are of what she presumed was his captor and then another picture of a man on his knees next to Tony with his head exposed.  

One of the pictures of his captor was a close up of his neck that showed a tattoo of ten rings interconnecting in a circle pattern with crisscrossing swords in the middle.  

The last picture was of a giant metal suit, that looked more like a ragged death robot then what is now known and idolized as the sleek and pristine Iron Man suit. However, that iconic light in the middle of its chest was Iron Man through and through.

Had Shield known the entire time where Tony Stark was when he was captured? And then left him there to be tortured for two months? What were they hoping to accomplish? Why didn’t they rescue him?

More importantly - had Shield ever been good?

It was Natasha that had filed the field report on Tony’s whereabouts during his capture and that made Darcy think of her in a different light. Darcy wasn’t stupid; she knows who Natasha is, including her past. Though this time, it hit a nerve inside Darcy, this was different because Tony was an innocent man at that time. He wasn’t a trained soldier to withstand torture. No, he was alone and left to figure his way out of the hell by himself.  

While working on the files she could access, she did some digging on Bobbi under codename Mockingbird and Agent 19 as well. What she found made her question the situation even more. Just how involved was she with Clint in the past and is she a friend now?  

 

* * *

 

 “Hey, short stack got coffee and shitty protein bars. We need to get back on the road. Should reach our new cozy home within a days time.”  

Darcy pulled her eyes from the laptop to Bobbi, who was smiling down on her from the doorway with coffee in one hand and a bag of food on her wrist. The lethal blonde was the very definition of Tom Cruise from Top Gun with fitted jeans, white t-shirt and leather bombers jacket with aviators sitting perfectly on her face.

Their undercover story is that Bobbi, “Clair,” is Darcy’s, “Haley,” aunt and they are on a statewide road trip getting to know each other after Darcy’s parents died in a plane crash several months back.  It wasn’t the greatest but would do.

 

“Where exactly are you taking me?” Darcy asks while closing up the laptop and packing her bag.

“Somewhere safe.” is the only reply she gets back.

Darcy had been playing this game with her for the past two days, but her patience is running thin. Bobbi had excited her at the Bed Stuy and helped her escape that place.  However, Darcy doesn’t know her like she knows her assassins and now she wonders if she even knows them at all. Who could she trust at this point?

“And that is?”  Darcy tries to poke for more information out of the blonde agent.

“Telling you would comprise what we are trying stop. You’re not a soldier trained to withstand torture, and if you get caught, there isn’t much to stop the enemy from getting that location out of you.” Bobbi’s voice is flat, and there is zero hesitation in her answer.

Everything about the answer initiates a wave of anger inside Darcy that has been slowly building up for too long. So tired of being dragged around, told what to do and then put away to be kept quiet without a say in the matter her entire life. This is the tipping point and Bobbi just doesn’t know it.   

“So this location is worth me dying over, but the information I’m uncovering isn’t? Your logic is completely fucked.”  and just like that, that anger spills out of Darcy with a harsh tone and ugly words.  

“The laptop you have been working on is copying everything you have uncovered over to the secure place. Half the information is on the enemy, so that will be no surprise to them if they get it. The other half will be a gamble; however, we will have it first, and that gives us an advantage.”

“Oh my god! Do you not hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? I am a human being, not some fucking pawn for Shield to gamble with. You act as if I mean nothing to the world.”  Darcy snaps back with every bit of rage and venom pooling inside her.

“Darcy Lewis, age 26, college drop out. No known relatives alive, father unknown, mother deceased ten years ago due to a heroin overdose and body found by police one week later due to smell from neighbors apartment.  You were found three days later living in the back of a dinner your mother had worked at, sleeping in the broom closet. No records or priors. Employment limited to coffee shop at Culver University on campus grounds and internship under Dr. Jane Foster for one and half years before being dismissed by Dr. Jane Foster as no longer needed. Request to return to university denied. No known personal attachments to any person.”

“Fuck you Barbara Morse-Barton.  Are is going to be Hunter now?”  Those nerves wholly unraveled now as Darcy tries to hit the agent with words straight in the heart. It’s a gamble but everyone has a weakness and this might be Bobbi’s, Clint. Natasha would be proud of her.

 

_ “Nat, would you train me a little? So you know, I’m not useless if something goes down before I’m released from Shield jail, and you and the pretty blonde drinking coffee from the craft like a child aren't here to help me?”  Darcy looks up from the Black Widows feet, a nail polish brush held between her two fingers. _

_ Clint winks at her because of course, he read her lips from the distance between the sofa and kitchen. _

_ “No myagkaya kukla..”  Natasha answers back quickly with almost a hiss and a slight scowl. To anyone else, this would be a time to run in the other direction based on that look, but for Darcy, it’s just a challenge to keep asking questions.   _

_ “What? … why not?!” Darcy snaps back. _

_ “Because I will not change you and make you lose that softness that is you because that is a part of you and what makes you pure.” Natasha’s voice is soft, but her green eyes remain unwavering in a hard stare that screamed, do not question this anymore. _

_ “Trust me; the pure boat sailed a long time ago. Plus, you know I’ve tazed several people.” the brunette snickers back with a smirk before looking down at the redhead's foot and blowing air softly on the wet nail polish. _

_ “Tch… not every situation needs a strong hand, sometimes knowledge is a much harder hit. Now stop asking Clint and me, we fight so you don’t have too.”  the assassin replies back with a sigh, but Darcy keeps her focus on the feet in her hand, moving on to painting the unpainted nails.  It's something she has learned about her friendship with Nat, she will never be as playful or open as Clint, but when she is, it’s best to acknowledge it by not pointing it out. _

_ “So you and Clint keep me around because I’m soft? If so, I’m flattered I think? Although I think it’s just a nice way to say, I’m weak or is it fat? Is that why you guys always want to cuddle with me in the middle, because I’m so squishy?”   _

_ “Hush… this is home. And you are none of those things. Sometimes being soft is just being soft.” _

_ “Aww… you do love me!” _

_ “Love is for children.” _

_ “Yet you call me a child all the time.” _

 

Bobbi’s face falls into shock for a split second before it snaps back into an agent not phased by anything.

“And for the record, I do have personal attachments. And those two attachments would burn the world to the ground for me just like I would for them, so put that in your file on me and shove it up your ass. I’m done with this.”  

With every ounce of bravado Darcy had inside her, she decided that she would take her chances of survival on her own and throw away any doubt she had earlier about her assassins. Maybe they had their reasons just like she has hers for her past. She loved them, and they loved her, and everyone else could fuck off.

Snatching her bag up, she pulls the laptop out of it and throws it on the bed and tosses the USB to Bobbi.

“Find someone else’s life to gamble with. And tell Shield to back off, or the public will become very ‘publicly’ aware of things I’m sure would not be suitable for your PR department.” Darcy moves to walk past Bobbi, but Bobbi blocks her exit.

“I loved Clint with all my heart, but it was hard. I still do love him.”

“He’s the best man I know, and you failed him by giving up too easily. He loved you and felt he deserved everything you did to him. Even sleeping with your partner. Trust me; if I had known you were his wife he told me about, I would have never gotten into the damn car with you.”

“You don’t know all the facts. And this is about trusting me to protect you, as Clint asked me to do. So please just let me do my job. You need to trust that I’m not the enemy here.”

“Too bad, I don’t trust you.”

“Then I’m sorry for this.”  and the world went black for Darcy.

 

* * *

  
  


Darcy’s head spins, and vomit pools in her mouth with her senses assaulted with a putrid smell. She tries to open her eyes but everything is too bright and too loud with yelling in the background. She feels cold metal under her body and a heavy hand cupping the side of her face.

“Darce’ , come on… open your eyes for me babe.” and she knows that voice.

She tries to say his name but instead coughs and spill everything inside her down her front as she is quickly swung up into a sitting position.

“It’s like New Mexico all over again.” she catches the harsh mumble and finally opens her eyes sufficiently to see Clint holding her up and flicking the open smelling salt package used to wake up her to the ground.

“Cli- ..nt”  his name is so rough coming off her tongue.

 

“Nat, she’s awake.” Clint sounds off with a commanding tone while keeping his eyes on Darcy and still cradling her face regardless of her vomit state.

Darcy catches sight of a blonde woman standing in the background and knows it’s Bobbi, but it doesn’t matter because Nat is by her now as she pushes her way in front of Clint.

“Myagkaya kukla.”  Nat calls to her softly in Russian with a slight twitch in her lip that almost makes a smile.

“I’m so gross but want to hug you so badly.” within a second, Natasha has Darcy wrapped tightly against her. “She will never touch you again.”

“Nat, she didn’t know she would have this reaction to her electric baton. It was set on the lowest setting just to stun. You know as well I do, Darcy was going to run from her the second she made her up mind about not trusting her. Bobbi did what she needed to get her here safely.” Clint chips away at the soft moment between the two most important people in his life.

Nat pulls from Darcy and kisses the top of her head before she swings away and lands a fist straight into Clint's cheek, catching the edge of his lip as her hand slides down and away. Its fast and makes a sickening popping sound.

Clint doesn’t even react to it, he knows his Natasha well enough, that this is just anger and emotions boiling over.

“She will not touch her again.” Nat hisses at him, “ and you..” she turns to look back at Darcy, “do not be so stubborn about your life again unless your damn well sure it’s an enemy you're trying to run from.”  

“I won’t Nat,” Darcy whispers to her softly.

“You did good, moya myagkaya kukla. I have enough information that you uncovered to confirm Hydra has infiltrated Shield and that both organizations are dirty and need to be burned down. Clint is going to move you somewhere safe, and then I will come find you two while everyone rebuilds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Tony will be making an appearance in the next chapter! Also, the secret place Bobbi was taking Darcy, was where Nick Fury was taken to for "real" medical treatment after being shot in Winter Soldier. Yeah, that secret bunker. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it! And remember to feed my writers soul, I do enjoy interacting with you guys on here. 
> 
> You can also follow me on tumblr under http://purplearrowawwno.tumblr.com/ for a variety of Marvel, Star Wars, DC and some anime.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy finally sees Tony again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for all the love and support on this story so far. I know it's not a fav OTP pairing for most but I adore the shit out of them. Also, please remember this is only semi-canon and I'm merging both Iron Man 3 and Winter Solider together.

 

“Well, you’ve vomited on me for the second time since I’ve met you and got me punched in the face by Nat.”  Clint jabs at Darcy while she rinses off in a corner hazmat shower of a makeshift lab that from the looks of it has not been used in a while, inside this relic underground bunker.

There’s no curtain to hide behind or even a door to lock for the room, resulting in Clint standing guard.

“New Mexico doesn’t count, and your mouth got you hit by Nat.” Darcy bickers backs between moving in and out of the sprays of water. “Shit this water is cold!” she yells at him.

“Well hurry up Princess, we got five minutes to get moving before Nat and Cap blow everything up and piss off a lot of people.”

“There, done. Is there a towel or am I drip drying?”

 Clint just smirks at her and hands her a set of scrubs they found lying around for her to throw on. Shields logo at the top right of the top. Darcy just snatches them,“What, no bra or panties?”,  before sliding them on over her still very wet skin.

“Sorry, fresh out of those. Bobbi may have left your bag of clothes behind at the hotel. You know, after you pulled a Nat and sucker punched her with my name and our past.”

“Your wife is an asshole, and to think I thought she was cool at the Bed Stuy. Why didn’t you tell me who she was? I thought we were... Well, I thought I was more than just another fucking assignment to you? Or was I your target in New Mexico as well, to get intel on Jane’s work for Shield? Is that why you fucked me? On the drive, you guys keep her work and have added to it.”  Darcy stands before him wet and barefoot, scrubs sticking to her skin and hair down in a complete wet mess of tangles.

She watches the smirk fall on Clint’s face, his eyes hardening before he reaches for her and slams her body into his chest with strong arms holding her tight. She’s so short and tucks so easily under his chin but doesn’t make a move to embrace him back.  

“Don’t mix the past with now, that’s our house rule. You’re home, not just mine, but Nat’s too. So I will tell you this once. You, Erik and Jane, were all my targets. I asked for you to be assigned to me at the Bed Stuy because I knew the shit position you were in and I know your life hasn’t been great. Just wanted to repay you back for the kindness you gave me in New Mexico. But none of that fucking matters anymore, it’s just us Darce. Me, you and Nat. Now you can walk out this place with me, or I can have someone else take you to the next safe place till this shit storm passes through.”

Those pale arms of hers lift from her side to grab hold of his shirt, and she just breathes him in, his clean shirt an a fresh hint of Nat’s perfume already on it. Clint just holds her tighter for a second before pulling away.

 

“Bobbi was fun, but I wasn’t around a lot. No one was wrong or right with our downfall. I trust her though, with my life and that’s good enough to put you in her hands. She’s a good agent, perhaps a bad wife but a good person regardless of anything.”  it’s his own fucked up way of coming clean about her.

“She still loves you, caught a glimpse of your dog tags around her neck tucked under her shirt.”

“Part of me is always going to love her; she was my first for a lot of things. But Nat makes me a good man and believes in me. Plus I got you too.“

“Yeah, you do Hawkeye.”  Darcy snorts at him and picks up her boots on the floor and slides them on with the same already worn socks stuffed inside them. “Alright, next stop is where?”

“Tony Starks place in Malibu.”

“Excuse me?! He’s the reason I’m in this position!”

“Told Cap you would hate the idea.”

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe I’m going along with this. Isn’t this like feeding fuel to the fire?”  Darcy stomps her way from the back of the quinjet hangar to the passenger seat by Clint in the cockpit.

“Well, didn’t anyone teach you not to pick up superheroes in a bar?” he glances over to her to only catch the middle finger waiting for him.

“I picked you up in a bar.”

“Babe, I’m always the exception to the rule.” he banters back with a sly smile and dirty wink.

“Shut your face, Clint Barton. You don’t get to judge me. Not with your casanova roaming past.”

“Well, if you were just looking for an itch to scratch, you could always join Nat and me. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind…. I think.”  

Darcy barks a fake laugh at him, “Ha! How do you know me and her haven’t already scratched some itches?”

“Don’t tease me!” Clint grips the steering handles tighter with an honest groan from whatever image he concocted inside his head.

“Look birdbrain; I want someone who looks at me, the way you look at Nat. Someone who wants me, not the person I’m standing next too. And to be honest with you, Tony was fun and snarky. He made me laugh and feel sexy as hell; you know until he said something stupid.”   

“That’s Tony. Plus you are aware he has a girlfriend, that the entire world knows about, right?” he glances back in her direction for a second to see her just stare straight ahead with lips drawn tightly into a straight line. It’s her face when she is angry and wanting to ignore a problem.

“I’m not judging. As you pointed out, I have a whores track record before I married Bobbi and then again after we split and before I met Nat.”

“I’m aware, asshole. Also, Tony and I didn’t do anything other than talk and flirt. It was just nice, to be wanted and looked at like I was special. Not that I validate my self-worth based on someone else's desire for me, but it was just nice. So let’s just drop it.”

“Look, Tony is a decent guy at the finish line. He will make the right call at the end, has that good heart but is a basket case which tends to rule 90% of his life. And Pepper Pots, things haven’t been great between them since Loki invaded New York. That kind of battle takes things away from people and replaces it with demons. Tony likes to pretend he’s still a civilian outside of his suit, but he’s not. He’s got the same baggage now as the rest of us do.”  

“Why are you telling me this?” Darcy questions him, finally dropping her gaze back over to him.

“Who do you think tipped me off to come get you and sent Cap down the road to dig deeper into project insight?”

“Fucking Tony Stark.”

 

* * *

 

Darcy watches the Avengers tower come into view, and it was honestly intimidating with how huge it looked compared to the surrounding buildings. The mechanism towards the top of the tower with a flat surface start moving to reveal an indoor hanger room. Clint moves from the pilot seat as the tower does the work for him in landing the quinjet and bringing it in without a single pause or rough jittering movements.

 

“So, no Malibu?”  Darcy moves after him, walking into the back of the jet as it’s cargo bay door opens down into a ramp.

“Yeah, something like that. Jarvis updated and rerouted the flight pattern while you were napping. So come on, I’ll give you a quick tour and then I need to rendezvous with Nat.”

“So this is supposed to be a better option, mine as well drop me off at home. I mean, come on! It’s y’alls little clubhouse; you think those asshats aren’t going to be keeping an eye out here to see if I come here?”

 

“Didn’t know multi-million dollar skyscraper are now considered a clubhouse?” a rough voice sneaks up Darcy as she jumps slightly before glaring at the man walking up to her. He looks worse for wear in a pair of dark jeans and a worn out black t-shirt pulled over a white long sleeve henley but still carried this air of flair about him that demanded attention.

“Stark, so Malibu?”  Clint asks before Darcy can retort back with anything.

“House blew up, terrorist,”  he replies back sharply, and the inflection in his voice changes from that arrogant tone just a second ago to something a little more serious.

“Need to make better friends.”

“So do you, from what I hear. Apparently, the Italians and Russians have a hit on you.”  Tony banters back, leaving Darcy surprised he knew about those issues. Just how much information does Stark have on his teammates?

“Where is Pepper?” Darcy thinks to ask, wanting to prepare herself for the uncomfortable talk that is sure to happen soon since the whole world accused her of sleep with said woman’s boyfriend.

“Not here.” Tony replies quickly, “So, let’s get the tour over. Need to comb through a few more things you dug up on that drive Barton gave you.” he tells her before turning around and walking out of the hanger room.

Darcy just stands there with mouth slightly open; she cocks her eyes over to Clint who just shrugs his shoulder, “Tony likes to know things. Now come on, need to make sure he’s gonna keep you safe, so I can get back up in the air.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed. You can follow me and msg me on tumblr under username http://purplearrowawwno.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Tony start to talk but then get interrupted with some less than pleasant news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, I was down with the flu and then my spouse got the flu as well. So my household was on lockdown and living off flavored broth and meds. I did manage to post up the Valentine prompt I got plus a new art piece featuring the lovely Black Widow. You can check it out on my Tumblr page. Don't forget to give me a follow or feel free to drop me a message (anon option is on if your shy), I would love to get to know you guys more. I promise I don't bite ;-) 
> 
> http://purplearrowawwno.tumblr.com/tagged/mandyartink

 

Darcy said her goodbyes to Clint over an hour ago which consisted of a tight hug that felt too short and rushed. He whispered a swift promise to come back to her with Nat and that Tony would keep her safe before he let his lips press hard against her forehead as she just held onto his shirt with stiff fingers and inhaled his scent.

From the time she moved into the Bed Stuy building, she had said goodbye to her spy-sassians more than she could count; but that was before she had a front row seat to their show. It was before she learned Hydra was alive and well and that Shield was just as dirty.

And now she was on house arrest for the unforeseeable feature in a building that everyone good and bad person knew about with a man who made her laugh but who loves a particular redhead.

 

“Drink? Tequila if I remember correctly.”

Darcy looks up from the sofa in what she assumes is a living room for a billionaire to see Tony behind the wet bar tucked in a far left corner. She wasn’t even aware he had walked into the room.  Her eyes had been focused on the blank TV in front of her, while her mind raced with every playback of the last week that was her life. Truth be told, she was to scared to see what the TV would show, to see what mayhem Steve, Natasha and maybe even Clint were fighting their way out of now.

“How did you know Hydra was coming for me?” she questions him, ignoring what he just asked her. It’s a question that has been plaguing her since Clint told her it was this man in the same room as her that sent him to rescue her.

“Fine, guess I will just drink alone.” Tony brushes her off, entirely bypassing her question.

“You didn’t answer me,” she comments back to him with slightly stern eyes as he pours himself a drink.

“Good observation,” Tony replies back, lifting his drink in a mock salute to her before sipping on it.

“Fine, keep ignoring it. You can at least answer me this, what are you doing with the encrypted information I uncovered?”

Tony takes another swing of his drink before he starts to pour something else into another glass, “You’re good, but I’m better. You scratched the surface, I found everything, or well enough to help Cap and Natasha. Jarvis is analyzing the rest and organized the information into priority categories in what needs to be dealt with now and what can wait till later. So let’s just say the world is about to know all of Hydra’s dirty secret, as well as the dirty side of Shield.”

 

“I know what they did to you, and I read your file,” Darcy tells him softly, and she isn’t sure why, but it just came rolling off her tongue.

Tony doesn’t comment on it, and Darcy isn’t going to press it. He makes his way to her with a bright drink in hand and just holds it out for her to take. The smell of fresh water and something lightly sweet hit her nose, and she reaches for the class. There is no trace of harsh alcohol, or that familiar scent of cheap liquor that you know will burn going down.

It doesn’t surprise her; it’s Tony Stark after all.

“Sip it, don’t drink or shoot it. This is proper tequila, not that fake high-end Patron stuff you had at the bar, ”  he says before sipping back on his drink, it’s a vibrant auburn color and a hint of smooth oak hits her nose. She remembers he was sipping whiskey that night in the bar and it seems to be his flavor still.

“I thought you didn’t like tequila?”

Tony just sighs and gives her a crooked smile that reminds her of him that night, “Well, you do, and I’m a gracious host.”

 

“Did you read my file?” she blurts out him and watches the smile fall from his face and that is a yes, “It’s okay if you did, I read yours after all.” her voice goes soft and silent before looking back at the blank TV and sipping on her drink. That was another thought that had been at the forefront of her mind since she learned Tony had been on the receiving end of her findings.

What all does he know about her, how much of her past does he know? And would he still want to entertain someone with her baggage even as a house guest? Then again, his history was just as fucked up. He just had the bonus of having a gold mine in the bank.

Darcy finally drags her eyes back to him and sighs,“I didn’t open mine, didn’t want to relive my past even if it’s only text on a screen with a few random pictures.”  she rambles to him in a broken voice, almost like a sad confession. It has him pausing for a moment, actually making him think of what to say before just blurting something out.

“I’m sorry about that night at the bar,” he says and it’s the best he can think of because he did read her file and knew exactly how her past played out and can see almost the same faults and fears in her that he does when he looks in the mirror. One difference is that he knows more about her past then she does.  

She should have read her file.

“You were an asshole.” Darcy retorts back, but there is no maliciousness in her tone.  Those eyes of her look so big and innocent, and Tony doesn’t understand how he didn’t see that, that night. How he couldn’t put it together that she wasn’t an agent, not with the way she looks right now.

“I get that a lot.” his words are barely above a whisper, but those honey colored eyes are strictly on her like that night at the bar with want but tinged with guilt.  

“But you made me smile and laugh ...” and that gets him to smile for a second and just as quick Darcy feels guilt rising in her because here she is flirting with a taken man while her friends are trying to save the world from Hydra.

“Can do more than that…”  the context of his confession should be off-putting, but it’s not because there is nothing in his face that says he is looking for just a fast, free fuck but a promise of more than that. It’s that broken smile of his, those soft eyes with crinkles at the outer edge that says he just wants to be happy and is tired of fighting for it.  

“This isn’t the bar Tony, and I’m not here dressed up in a ridiculous cheap dress two sizes too small looking to feel good about myself. Plus, you have Pepper, and my friends are out there risking their lives to save the world. And I’m here…safe and sound while innocent people who were good agents, loyal to the real Shield are about to be haunted or worse when Nat uploads those files. Cover’s are going to be blown and ... “

“Pepper left.”  Tony quickly tells her, cutting her off. “And I scrubbed as much as I could, secret identities and missions that seemed legit but I’m also not sure who is good and who isn’t. Shield needs to fall, completely and then rebuild from scratch.”

“Oh..I didn’t know about either of that.” is all Darcy can think to say.

“I’m a decent person, regardless of what you may think… And with Pepper, it was no one's fault. Things got complicated.”

“Was it me? The photos leaked online?”

“No, it was over before that I think.”

 

“Sir, sorry to interrupt, but Agent Romanoff wishes to speak with Ms. Lewis.”

“Nat!” Darcy squeals her name and springs herself from the sofa, looking around for a picture someone where but there is nothing and Darcy aches at not being able to see her.

“Darcy.” Natasha’s voice fills the room, and Darcy just reaches for Tony’s hand, needing something to ground her physically. Her fingers interlock with his, and he doesn’t protest instead he squeezes her back.

“My covers are blown, Clint and I are going to run for a little bit while everything dies down. There are things I need to do.”

“No, come get me, and I will go with you guys.”

“No, you are staying safely tucked away with Tony until I can convince those who are still alive that came after you to think otherwise.”

“Please Nat, home is you and Clint. I can help, you know this. I know you're going on a kill mission, but I can help you with information. ”

“Myagkaya Kukla… you are home. Clint and I will always come home.”

“I love you. And him.”

“Tch… I’m sending Bobbi to the Tower to keep an eye out on things while things cool down and to train you. Listen to her, learn from her.”

“No, she can fuck off! You come here and train me! I know this is Clint’s idea, so you can tell him to fuck off too!.” Darcy feels her temper rise at the mention of the woman’s name.

“Darce’...you will listen to her, and you will train with her. You don’t get a say in this.” Clint’s voice breaks through, it’s demanding of her attention and leaves no room for argument. It’s the harshness that has Darcy saying nothing back; Clint is never like this unless there is a damn good reason for it.

The world would be surprised that it’s the Black Widow herself that is a pushover for Darcy but not Clint.

Tony can feel the tension still in his hand from Darcy iron hold, “Clint any idea when my next guest will be arriving?” he asks to break the vibe in the room.

 “Within the next four hours,”  Clint tells him.

 

“Clint.” Darcy breaks her silence, she’s angry, so angry but she also doesn’t know when she will speak to him next.

 “I know...” her blonde archer replies back to her softly, so much affection in those two words and it melts Darcy.

 

 “Take care of her Tony and don’t get her hooked on the fancy booze, me and Nat don’t roll in money like you.” Clint fires off to Tony with that well known natural attitude and humor.

 “Bye Hawkeye.” Tony scoffs at his teammate before the connection dies.  

 

“I need that bottle,” Darcy says letting go of Tony’s hand heading towards the wet bar because she isn’t ready to deal with the next house guest coming or what follows after that.

 The brunette billionaire just lets out a laugh that changes the tone in the room, even if only for a moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the comments, kind words, and kudos. They truly make my day, seriously. Oh, I'm on the lookout for a beta to help me bounce ideas off of and keep me on track with better update timing if anyone is interested??? Plus help me catch things I miss in my writing that are not Grammarly correct. 
> 
> tumblr: http://purplearrowawwno.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bobbi arrives. Darcy and Tony share a moment mixed with emotions neither are good at dealing with.

 

 

Darcy found herself wondering the halls of the tower in her favorite worn out leggings and Nat's tanktop that Clint had stashed on the quin jet for her. Somewhere between the top three floors of the building was a shitty wife ex Shield agent, a fucked up billionaire superhero and herself, a college dropout playing pretend civilian.

When Bobbi had arrived, it was a disaster.

 

_“Darcy, you have to understand that I was doing my job. It’s never personal. I do like you and I want you to trust me, but I’m not going to caudle you like Romanoff does.”_

_“You’re right, your not her. No matter how hard you try Mockingbird.” Darcy eyes the blonde, throwing her old codename at her when she tried to survive as a solo agent._

_“You’re an ugly drunk Lewis.” Bobbi fires back at the brunette._

_“And you were never gonna be Fury’s right hand.”_

_“You’re right, I wasn’t. I can’t compartmentalize my soul and moral compass like the Widow can.”_

_And that statement burned Darcy’s heart, it was true and that made it worse. And finding the file on Tony by Natasha was still fresh in her mind and it twists her emotions for “her” Natasha because her Natasha was just that - Natasha, not the Black Widow._

_“Fuck you!” Darcy screams at Bobbi, throwing the bottle in an attempt to hit the ex-agent but all it hit was the wall. And just like that, Darcy was alone again with broken glass and spilled tequila on the hallway floor in one of the expensive places in the world._

 

* * *

 

  
“Jarvis, can you tell me where Tony is?” Darcy asked the AI, unsure what to except. Does he only respond to Tony or just anyone?

“Right behind you, Ms. Lewis.” the crisp British accent replied to her and it made her heart jump and lungs squeeze tight before she turned to find him.

  
“Hi,” she says quickly and almost timidly.

“Should I keep glass bottles out of the tower?” he smirks at her with his arms crossed and tired eyes that are surprisingly not tinted red from whiskey. Instead, he looks disheveled and defeated, mentally, like he’s been working on something and hasn’t cracked the code yet. It's a look Darcy is familiar with on herself and her old boss, Jane.

“Sorry, I just … lost my temper.” her shoulders slump and eyes cast down to her bare feet, focusing on the chipped nail polish from the last time Nat painted them.  
  
“Shield agents tend to have that effect on people. Lost mine a few times with your pseudo girlfriend just to name one.” and that statement gets Darcy to snap her head back up. There was no venom in Tony’s voice and his grin actually puts her at ease but she still wants to explain why Nat is different than the other agents. However, the little voice inside Darcy’s head quickly reminds her it was Nat who left Tony to be tortured in the cave by a terrorist organization.

It leaves her standing without words to use.

“Look, Darcy, I’m very well aware of what Natasha has been through, done in her past and to a certain degree accept what she does even now outside of Avenger’s business. “ Tony breaks up the silence between them, “We all have our secrets and ways of dealing with them and our own brand of being a “hero”. She does what she does to get the job done and hopefully it will always be for our side and until she gives me a reason to not trust her, I accept her but I’m not blind to her.”

“Guess you are smart. And I’m not blind either, just so know.” Darcy’s voice is soft and still washed out with guilt.

“I know you’re not, don’t think Natasha would have fools for friends just a fool for whatever she calls that thing between her and Clint.”

Darcy gives him a small smile, “Clint’s actually smart, not your level, but just likes to have a good time.”

“Ah.. so how is it you got a deadly black spider twisted around your finger but not a dude who loves purple and shots arrow?”

The smile on Darcy’s face widens to a full one that makes her eyes become smaller, cheeks perk up and puts her teeth on display with that slight gap on top row in the middle front and center. It’s sexy as hell to Tony and he wants to make her smile like this all time because it’s so genuine and warm. It’s an emotion Tony isn't used too but he wants to be wrapped in it all the time and he also wants to be the only one who can make her smile like that.

Tony moves softly to invade her space and Darcy feels crowded by him, seeing nothing but him and it thrills her even with guilt still eating at her. “You could take me down with that smile, don’t tell anyone,” he says with a voice that is easy and light.

“Is that all it takes to bring Iron Man down?” Darcy teases him back.

“Not Iron Man right now, just Tony.”

“Tony, how did you know I was in trouble after I left the bar?”

“You know, we were having a moment. At least I think that’s what that was?” Tony avoids her question again but not leaving her side.

“And your deflecting, but yes we were having a thing.”

“Let’s just continue to do that.” and it’s more of plea that comes from him because he doesn’t want to have that talk, not this one, with her because she might not look at him anymore with that smile that he’s grown attached too.

 

“Tony.” her voice is soft and her smile is small but kind.

“If I tell you then this will be over, this moment, it’s over. And since that night at the bar, I’ve regretted not following you out that bar. God .. I wanted to throw away everything the night just to let you use me, feel your lips on my skin. I didn’t want to be a good man that night.”

That omission should send a cheap thrill down Darcy's spine and make this moment sexualized but it doesn't. Instead, she sees no trace of bravado left in him, just this broken man, a look she has seen a few times in her assassins. It’s a look of shame and guilt when things in the field have gone completely wrong and guilt takes up all the space inside the body.

“Well I’m here,” she assures him, removing the last inch between them. The feel of her barely pressed against his chest, even in clothes, calms him. “But you need to tell me how you knew Hydra was coming after me even with project insight unfolding. Why me? Why all of a sudden?”

Tony looks down at her, her height so perfect he thinks, exhaling slowly he takes a chance she will not just walk out, again. “Do you know what a sleeper search is?”

“Yes, compressed search based on limited triggers set in sleep mode until a window is open. Normally undetected until it’s too late or if done right, never detected. Vantage of not being greedy.”

“Yeah… all that, the slow horse wins the race. Well, Jarvis hacked Shields records to gather more intel on you after you left the bar. A small window then became open and your name was one of three triggers, the other two were Jane and Erik’s name. And the smart move would be to get you.

"Because I'm just smart enough but nor important enough for anyone to notice if I was gone. Not like Jane or Erik."

"You helped them build their machines and that would even put you on my radar if I was on the wrong team. The only saving grace was that Barton not only owns that building you called jail home but was your neighbor and that wasn't in your file. I put two and two together and figured you were him and Nat's "friend" that he slipped up and mention once. It was an advantage to get you out safe and I used it to get you out.“

"Doesn't explain how you knew they would try to get me that next day?" Darcy continues to question him while she tries to process how he was responsible for her life being uprooted in the past week more than she thought he was. 

"It was a gamble, and it paid off." his voice is stern and she can see the lines in his face tighten as if he daring her to question that again. It catches her by surprise but also brings up another nauseating fact - she's still just an easy target and gambling piece for not only the good guys but also the enemies. 

 

“Plus who would miss a girl who has nothing and no one? I’m the safe bet, once again, even by Hydra’s standards,” she tells him with no heat in her voice, like it's fact she is just learning to accept.

“What do you mean, again? And by Hydra’s standards?” and there is that intense focus on Tony's face again and a touch of anger, it makes her feel special that he cares enough to get angry over it.

“Bobbi wouldn’t tell me where she as taking me, said if I was captured I would give it up because how could I stand up to torture? Since the information I was pulling was uploaded to the secure place it didn’t matter if they got their hands on that laptop, it was a gamble. But they couldn’t risk me knowing the location because it was worth more than life. My life was nothing more than a fucking gamble to those people!” Darcy screams out like the last part, it takes her by surprise but if she was honest it felt good but also twisted her nerves and it's like an onslaught of emotions letting loose.  

Tony allows himself to react, pulling her flush against his chest. “I’m not some plaything to be used! I mean something!” she continues to scream into his chest, her voice muffled against the fabric of his shirt and that beautiful blue light in the center of his chest.

His skin scrawls with each vibration of words she screams into his arc reactor, he hates that he feels this and hates that she is so raw from everything since that night at the bar. And all because he was Tony Stark and needed to know if she was Shield or not, wanted to know what card they were playing to use him again. Because why else would they come to him if not to use him and yet he allowed it. 

“It’s my fault, everything that has happened to you since you left the bar,” he tells like it’s a rushed string of words and holds his breath for her to pull away and walk away. “I should hate you but I can’t.” she keeps hold of him and it if it was ever a wrong moment to feel a rush of excitement it was now but Tony did and guilt be damn! She wasn’t running from him, she doesn’t hate him and she’s still here in his arms.

“Fuck this,” he tells himself in a harsh tone and takes a chance, he moves her till it’s her back against the wall and his lips on hers with his hands gripping her thighs and nails biting into her skin through her thread worn leggings. The second he feels her legs move around him he lifts her higher and lets his lips and scrap of his facial move down her jaw and neck.

“Need to know the next move, Darcy .. yes, no, green, yellow … red.. Something.” he pleads with between nips and soft kisses.

“Yes!” she moans to him and it’s all the encouragement he needs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments, critiques and encouragement on this story! I'm blown away by the support you have given it and the growing interest in this pairing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy thinks Tony's body is a wonderland and then extends an olive branch to Bobbi. But get's curious about her ex-boss whereabouts since Project Insight blew up in the sky, literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People, be kind and gentle. I haven't written smut in a long time, and my style of it has dramatically changed. I prefer to write more realistic if you will. 
> 
> Also, I'm not your sex-ed teacher, so don't do what you read. Be smart and safe and more importantly, have fun getting off. 
> 
> xoxo

 

Darcy let herself be placed on all fours, the feel of rich, pure cotton plasters against her chest as the weight of a large warm hand holds her down. Strong fingers covered in everything that Tony took from her just moments ago when he spread her legs wide at the edge of the bed and sat on his knees to thoroughly fuck her to orgasm with everything but his cock.

Now though, he takes that liberty. Pulling his cock up into one hand, he slides it through the pooled wetness between her creamy thighs with a sharp intake of his breath. Darcy feels every touch of his skin on hers from it, so debauched in the best way, sensitive and heart racing.  

“Tony.” she moans his name, it’s rough and cracks at the end, and he gives her exactly what she wants, everything. One roll of his hips has her feeling those nerves fraying apart. The pull on her hips to move them up higher has her in explicit euphoria - stretched and full.

The drag of his cock makes her push back and the feel of it slamming back into her has her letting out little noises between breathy moans and sharp inhales.

It takes everything in her body to hold onto that sexual high while Tony works her over in search of his release.  Those large sticky fingers work their way back to her clit, perfecting pressure in the right way that makes Darcy buck back for one last rush of getting off. It’s harder and forceful then compared to first one, not strung out and sweet but still just as good.  It takes only moments after that for Tony’s fingers to dig into her flesh and hold her hips steady as he gives a few hard thrusts that make Darcy shove forward an inch. Tony lets this familiar feeling of getting off wash over him, and he fucking loves it, loves that second where he can’t breathe, and his body goes taut, and the urge to just fucking cum overrides everything.      

And it’s when Darcy feels his hands run up her sides gently and wet lips press softly on her shoulder blade she lets herself collapse with the wet pop sounding of Tony sliding out of her.  

The weight of the bed shifts with Tony moving off it, his breathing is only slightly labored, but the sheen over his body and face tells a different story.

 

Darcy rolls onto her side to look at him standing next to his bed. He’s gorgeous looking with a well-defined body, it’s not as huge as Captain America and not as tightly corded as Clint’s but is none the less strong. The hairs on his chest covering just the top of his olive skin lightly and a dark, happy trail leading down to a trim patch of curls between two sharp hip bones that dip in all the right places.  She moves off the bed and reaches for his still hard cock; it’s shade a darker than him with an even darker tip. It’s thick, and just long enough, she lets her hand move up on it in one stroke, feeling everything that’s on it from both of them move between her fingers till she reaches his tip and squeezes him a touch too tight.

Darcy catches the way this action makes his eyes close and lips part for a slip second, “You’re really beautiful.”  she tells him.

“You’re killing me,” he tells her with an unsteady laugh before moving her hand off him but not letting it go.

“So, shower?” he asks her.

“No awkward after talk?” she questions him because now is normally the time it happens.

“I think we are past awkward unless you are in the habit of letting strange men place their face between your legs after they get you shoot at?”

“Nope.” she does that thing again he likes, popping the p off her tongue.

“Good, because this is happening again.” he pulls her flush up against him before lifting her over his shoulder and walking to the bathroom. It has Darcy laughing the entire way and squeaking when his hand slaps at her bottom playfully.

 

* * *

 

Bobbi wakes up at the first sound of her alarm. It’s six in the morning, and everything feels wrong, the guest room feels to clean and expensive. Even the touch of her bare feet hitting the floor feels wrong; it’s oddly soothing and warm against her toes.

 She is an unwelcome guest in the most expensive building in New York and assigned to train a civilian who rather see her drop dead. The only constant in her life, Shield, is now dismantled and she has nothing but a husband who still hasn’t signed the divorce papers because she keeps forgetting to bring him a new copy of it.

 Or maybe she doesn’t want too because that would mean admitting she has failed at everything important to her. And maybe it’s because she wants to hold it over Natasha, that she can never have Clint Barton as she did. And maybe, because regardless of past sins on both their parts, she still loves him.

 Throwing on some training clothes, she leaves her guest room and goes to the elevator at the end of the hall.

 

 “Jarvis, can you take me to a gym.”

 “Of course, we have a gym and training simulation room. I would be happy to program a simulated event of your skill level if desired.”

 “I think some old fashion would be better, just need a heavy bag.”

 “Understood Agent 19.”

 “Not an Agent anymore, just Bobbi.”

 “Very well, Bobbi.”

 

* * *

 

Darcy reluctantly opens her eyes and takes a moment to remind herself exactly where she is and exactly what she did just a few hours ago.  She rolls over and isn't surprised to find Tony is already gone but is amused to find a bright yellow sticky note with horrible handwriting on it.

It reads “Work, S.I.”  and just “T” written below it with a P.S. added to it, “don’t run.” It resonates with Darcy just how broken this genius superhero is. It makes her think back on Jane, was the piette astrophysicist ever this broken after an event in her life? Or was science her one and true love?

“Jarvis, can you bring up the News?”

“Of course Ms. Darcy.”

Darcy watched the floor to ceiling windows darken to a shade of black before coming to life with a local news channel, world news channel and latest news article events. It was flawless looking without a single ripple in the fluidity of it it all.  

 

“Wow.. you are remarkable Stark.”  she says softly to herself, “Jarvis has there been any reports  connecting Jane Foster or Erik Selvig with yesterday’s events?”

“Here’s what I’m able to locate.” the soft British voice washes over her while the motions on the screen start streaming data with two reports pulling from the files dumped by Natasha on her former boss with a non-descriptive outline of Jane’s current project.

“Has there been any word from Jane trying to reach out to anyone from her location?”  she asks Jarvis walking up to one of the files on the window and tentatively touching it and watching it come to life under her fingertip as she scrolls through it.

“Nothing that I’m able to pick up on though it does seem the facility she was in is now vacant.”

“This report, the northern lights. Can you send me that to me on my la - ”  and for the first time since Clint told her to run Darcy thinks about her apartment, her things and the people who do live there.

Are they okay? Does she have anything left or even a place to go back to now?

“Ms. Darcy, you were saying?”

“Um.. nevermind. Are there any clothes here that I can borrow? Clint only managed to grab me one thing.”

“Of course, Sir took the liberty of stocking clothes and things to your nature before your arrival in Agent Barton’s guest room.”

“Clint has a room here? And a guest room in it?! What else has he been hiding from me?”Darcy rolls her eyes and can’t wait to see that arrow and bow boy again.  

“I’m not sure I can provide an adequate answer.”

“Are you being sassy Jarvis?”

“Well, I was programmed by Tony Stark.”

And Darcy lets herself smile on that comment.

 

* * *

 

“Did you come to insult me again or will let me help you?” Bobbi asks as she eyes the brunette with the lush figure walking into the gym.

Darcy gives her a guarded look and watches the blonde turn back to the heavy bag and landing a solid blow that echoes off the thick leather. Bobbi isn’t wearing gloves. Instead, boxer wraps on her hand, and everything in her stance says she’s a trained killer just like the Widow. She moves in on the bag again with another round of hits.

Stepping back from the bag Bobbi steady’s it with both her hands and Darcy catches the red trying to bleed through on top of her knuckles under the white wraps. “You mine as well put on some clothes if you’re just going to stand there.”

 

“You don’t get to taz me and then talk shit about Natasha and expect me to like you or even trust you. That’s not how this is going to works.”  Darcy tells her without taking her eyes off the agent’s face.

“You were going to run; it was the most efficient and effective way to get you and the data safely to the bunker. It saved a lot of lives, and I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“It did, you’re right, and I’m grateful for that. I even get you had a job to do, but Shield is gone and now, now you having nothing because Shield compromised too much in this game of espionage by thinking everything they did was okay because it was for the greater good.”

“You’re right, Shield is gone, and all my covers are blown. I have nowhere to run without it being known who and what I am. However, that just means I need to change alongside with the world.” and Bobbi believes every word of that, soon as Clint and Natasha are back she is out and will cut her ties with everyone. She’s done it before undercover; she can do it again.

 

“You’re going to give those divorce papers to Clint when he gets back, and I will make sure he doesn’t lose them and signs them this time. He told me it wasn’t your fault or his, that sometimes things just happen, but you were a good person. So prove it to me, without compromising yourself under Shield.”

“Why are you doing this?” Bobbi questions Darcy, trying to find her motive.  

“Look,  Nat was everything you said she was but you are no different than her. So, if I can look at her and not see the Black Widow then maybe I can do the same with you.”,  Darcy isn’t smiling, and her voice isn’t soft or sweet, it’s still laced with venom but it’s honest, and that is something Bobbie can use right now.

“Deal.”

Darcy thinks Clint would be happy with her because she sure as shit isn’t doing it for anyone else other then him and maybe Nat or maybe a little for herself. Friends are in short supply and people to trust even shorter. And the thing with Tony, she has no idea what it is or where it’s going to go but that at the moment it feels right.  

And this, this olive branch does too.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed every dripping detail ;-) more fun time to come for sure but then more curiosity and another mission is just around the corner.


End file.
